Monday, March 19, 2012

Color Crazy

A short story by Joyce Carol Oates
contained an indelible metaphor. She compared the sky’s appearance to that of
soiled sheets. Ms Oates has a knack for colorful description. On one page a
metaphor fills the reader’s mind with a string of colors, like all the
disgusting discoloration of filthy, stained bedsheets. On another, she will
name the color itself, and with that one word brighten or darken the mood of an
entire scene.

How many such words can be dabbed
on a writer’s palette? According to a sticky note in my flip dictionary, 267
colors in the United States of America, have official names set by the National
Bureau of Standards. Strange how information generates more questions:
is azure, aka sky-blue or cerulean, the same in all English speaking countries,
or do the Aussies and Brits have their own special word to depict the sky on a
pleasant day?

How many color-related words do
you own? The following is a list of words that either name or relate to color. Print it so you can put a smiley face beside those you recognize, and take a second look at those
you don’t. Chances are, words once studied, will grab your attention if you
meet them again. And you might memorize a few for the next time a ten-year-old
challenges you to a game of hangman.

1.Albinism (denotes a condition marked by a deficiency in pigmentation; adj: albinic)

2. Anthocyanins (red, to purple pigments in fruits and flowers; also fruits and vegetables so colored)